Back in Town
by cyberwulf
Summary: Part six of the "Soul" series. Spike's back in Sunnydale.


**Title:** Back in Town 

**Author:** Cyberwulf

**Rating:** 12s (PG-13), just to be safe

**Disclaimer:** Joss Whedon and ME own the mangled remains of B:tVS and all related characters. 'Slang' belongs to Def Leppard.

**Spoilers: **Set in season seven, post-'First Date'. References to 'Becoming II', 'The Yoko Factor', early season six, and season three up to 'Revelations'. Part six of the 'Soul' series (see author's note below).

**Summary:** Spike returns to Sunnydale.

**Feedback:** Flame away, I don't care: cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk

**Author's Note 1:** This is part six of the 'Soul' series. The first five parts, which I strongly suggest you read before you read this part, are:

'Soul' by Tara Keezer (storyid 1243067)

'Soulless' by Tara Keezer (storyid 1246824)

'Soulbound' by Tara Keezer (storyid 1248396) 

'A Dissenting Voice' by Jason Barnett (storyid 1248832).

'From Hell' by Cyberwulf (storyid 1287574)

**Author's Note 2:** I've written the characters as they were portrayed during the first five years of the show, rather than the puppets we saw this season. So if they seem 'off', that's why. In order to minimize a huge plothole, let's say there's only about a dozen SiTs. And I've given the First Evil an actual plan. Take note, ME.

**Thanks:** To TK for letting me continue this series, and hopefully finish it. I really hope you like it.

---

   " Sittin' down gettin' tense cuz I said 

   Somethin' lewd in a low-down accent

   Yeah yeah yeah got a look in those eyes

   I wanna get down but I ain't your guy…"

   Giles shut his eyes and let the water wash the shampoo out of his hair. The bathroom was fast becoming the only place in the house where one had any privacy, and even that was only for a short time. Consideration for others meant no one could spend any longer in there than completely necessary.

   " Yeah I'll rap it rock it jam it up but count me out

   Cuz all I ever wanna get is slang, all right…"

   The overcrowding was becoming a serious problem. People had to sleep on the floor and eat in shifts. There had been several rows over the television until Willow had drawn up a strict schedule and devised rules regarding 'one-offs' such as sporting events and movies. Some harsh words had also been exchanged about such things as using all the hot water and eating the last cookie. And the previous night he'd been left with no option but to go into the yard and relieve himself against a tree, praying no one was watching, and resolving to cut tea and alcohol out altogether. Not surprising that tempers were a little frayed. And not surprising that Dawn had been a little on edge last night, saying things she didn't really mean as a consequence.

   At least, that's what he told himself.

   " Slang with me, I don't wanna get my hands dirty,

   Slang with me, I just wanna get soaking wet,

   Slang with me, I don't wanna get my hands dirty

   Cuz all I ever wanna get is slang…"

   Giles switched off the water and got out of the shower. He towelled himself off and continued to sing. It was the best way to get rid of a song that was stuck in your head. Giles donned a clean pair of boxer shorts and a fresh T-shirt and went about the rest of his morning ablutions.

   " Slang with me, I don't wanna get my hands dirty,

   Slang with me, I just wanna get soaking wet,

   Slang with me, I don't wanna get my hands dirty…"

  He hung the towels neatly on the rack, and unlocked the door.

  " Cuz all I ever wanna get is slang…"

  Giles opened the door and was greeted with a round of applause. A blush crept into his cheeks as he took in the queue of SiTs and Scoobies lined up outside the bathroom, grinning and clapping. A few people whistled.

   " One more tune! One more tune!" Molly shouted, and Vi and Rona swiftly took up the chant. Ducking his head shyly, Giles disappeared down the landing.

   " He sounds sexy even when he's singing through a mouthful of toothpaste," Willow remarked dreamily, missing Kennedy's mutter of, " Yeah, whatever."

   " I missed Giles singing?!" Anya exclaimed, arriving on the scene. She stamped her foot. " Poopie!"

   " He's a God," Andrew sighed. Chao-Ahn barged past him into the bathroom. " Hey!"

   Chao-Ahn called something through the door.

   " What?" Andrew asked, frowning in puzzlement.

   " I think that was Cantonese for, 'You snooze, you lose'," Rona giggled.

   " Yup, and since you didn't keep an eye on the bathroom, you forfeit your place at the top of the queue," Kennedy declared.

   " But –"

   " Rules is rules," Molly agreed.

   " Back a' the line," Vi added.

   Andrew scowled at them.

   " Fine," he sulked. " I didn't really want a shower anyway." He stomped off.

   Dressed, Giles headed for the kitchen. Unfortunately this entailed passing the bathroom queue again. A few of the girls wolf-whistled. 

   " Do you do requests?" Anya called hopefully.

   " Kung Fu Fighting!" Rona yelled.

   " Englishman in New York!" Vi shouted.

   " Perhaps another time," Giles replied, with a self-conscious grin.

   " Oi, Chloe wants to slap yer bum!" Molly called, followed by a squeal of " Noo!" from Chloe. " 'Ere, he's blushing!"

   Dawn emerged from her room and directed a savage glare at Giles' disappearing back. Why did they all think he was so great? They wouldn't admire him so much if they found out that he was a coward and a hypocrite…

   Dawn joined the back of the queue, tears suddenly stinging her eyes. The truth was, she missed Giles. She'd spent a lot of time with him after Buffy died. Xander and Willow had been busy with their own grief; Anya and Tara had been comforting them; and Spike was only around at night, not to mention having his own issues to work through. She'd begun to go round to Giles' apartment in the evenings after dinner – he'd usually had a few drinks by then, but wasn't drunk yet. They sat and talked, or sometimes just sat. Sometimes they cried. It had freaked Dawn out a bit, the first time she'd seen Giles crying, but she kept going over to his place. If he was talking to her, or crying over Buffy, then he wasn't sitting alone drinking. And he'd started, gradually, to pull himself together. He'd begun to come over to her house and cook dinner, helped her get through summer school, and visited Buffy's grave with her.

   And then he left.

   Dawn got why Giles left the first time, sort of. Buffy was dead, and she *was* pretty much the centre of Giles' world. Plus it probably wasn't easy for him, staying in Sunnydale when everything reminded him of her. But Dawn didn't understand why Giles took off the second time. Or why he hadn't come back with Willow. He'd been the one adult in her life who really *was* an adult, and he left her – left all of them – right when they needed him most.

   And just because Buffy, Willow and Xander were willing to forgive and forget didn't mean that she was.

    " There's no bread."

   Buffy looked up from the couch.

   " Good morning to you too," she said with a smile. Giles flopped down next to her, a look of disgust on his face.

   " No bread!" he repeated. " There were six loaves there last night and a swarm of, of rampaging locusts devoured them all!"

   " There is so bread," Buffy replied. " I put a couple loaves in the freezer, you just gotta thaw them out."

   " Soggy bread," Giles declared with a grimace.

   " Well, what do you wanna do with it?" Buffy asked.

   " I just want a slice of toast," Giles grumbled.

   " Well then the heat'll even things out," Buffy replied. " Bam! Problem solved. So you turn that frown upside-down, mister."

   Giles shot her a glare.

   Buffy lowered her voice.

   " How'd things go with Dawn last night?"

   Giles shook his head.

   " Not well," he told her. " In fact, I may have made things worse." He took his glasses off and wiped them on the end of his shirt. " She wouldn't listen to me, dismissed my argument out of hand, and stuck firmly to her own point of view. And then she stormed off."

   " Stubborn," Buffy remarked.

   " Like her sister," Giles answered with a faint smile.

   " Give her time," Buffy told him. " Dawn'll calm down." A loud explosion emanated from the TV and she winced. " Andrew, can you turn it down a little? I'm trying to have a conversation here!"

   " But it's Transformers!" Andrew protested. " Transformers classic, no less, not that lame new animé version!"

   " I don't care what it is," Buffy answered, " just hold it down, okay?"

   Andrew scowled and lowered the volume. " There, I can barely hear it. Happy?"

   " So turn on the captions," Buffy growled back.

   " There aren't any," Andrew muttered.

   Buffy glared at him for a few more seconds before looking back at Giles.

   " Which brings me to my next point," Giles declared. " Overcrowding's becoming a serious problem. There's so many of us, and we're all living on top of each other. Privacy is becoming an endangered species."

   " Aw, you're just saying that because everyone heard you singing in the shower this morning," Buffy teased.

   " Yes, well, I've already got Potentials asking me to 'break stuff with my head'," Giles replied. " Now I've lost them forever."

   " Well, at least they don't know you play guitar," Buffy said.

   " You do that too?"

   The pair on the couch turned and saw Andrew staring, wide-eyed, at Giles.

   " Sorry," Buffy said sheepishly.

   The front door opened.

   " Hey guys," Xander called. He came into the lounge and sat in one of the armchairs. Andrew gave him an adoring look, which he chose not to notice.

   " Hey Xand," Buffy replied. " How's the wound?"

   " Ah, still a bit sore, but nothing I can't handle," Xander answered.

   " Xander, do me a favour," Giles said. " Build an illegal extension on the back of the house and fill it with bathrooms, would you?"

   Xander chuckled.

   " The overcrowding's getting to Giles," Buffy explained.

   " Well, if you wouldn't keep bringing so many girls home…" Xander quipped.

   " It's no joke," Giles said seriously. " I'm very close to giving up queuing for showers and just bathing outside with a bucket of water and a hose, and to hell with what the neighbours think."

   Andrew coughed and crossed his legs.

   " Well, maybe some of the girls can move in with Xander," Buffy suggested. " Like, half, or a quarter…"

   " In my tiny apartment?" Xander replied incredulously. " I got a better idea. How about all the girls stay here, and all the guys move in with me?"

   " Second!" Andrew exclaimed, his hand shooting into the air.

   The others gave him a strange look.

   " What about a hotel or something?" Buffy suggested. " I know the Council went kablooey, but don't they have like Swiss bank accounts or secret funds or something that maybe a certain Watcher is beneficiary of…"

    " What do you think I've been buying food and clothes with?" Giles asked.

    " Oh."

    They sat in silence for a while, Andrew dividing his attention between Xander, Giles and the TV.

   " What about the mansion on Crawford Street?" Buffy said suddenly.

   Giles froze.

   " Angel's old place?" Xander asked.

   " Yeah," Buffy answered. " It's big, it's got lots of rooms… and there's gotta be more than one bathroom, right? There's probably space for everyone in there…"

   " Unless it's falling apart," Xander replied. " Or unless there are people living there…"

   " Nah, I pass by on patrol every night," Buffy declared. " The windows are still boarded up."

   " That takes care of the 'no-one living there' part," Xander pointed out. " Doesn't mean that the whole place isn't infested with termites."

   " We've gotta at least check it out," Buffy replied. " Giles is right, we can't go on cramming people into this place."

   Giles started on hearing his name.

   " What?"

   " G-man, you okay?" Xander asked. " You kinda zoned on us."

   Giles looked from one to the other, slightly dazed.

   " Don't call me that," he said absently. He shook his head slightly as if to clear it. "Yes, I'm fine."

   " No you're not," Buffy answered quietly, suddenly understanding. " Giles, I'm sorry. I completely forgot what that place means to you. We don't have to go there if you don't want to…"

   " It's all right," Giles replied, more confidently than he felt. " I'll be fine. And we have to make use of every resource at our disposal."

   " Okay," Buffy said. " I'll go call Angel and make sure it's okay by him." She slid off the couch and headed for the phone.

   " Guess I'll go get my toolkit in case anything needs fixing," Xander said, getting up.

   Giles took a deep breath and let it out, trying to banish the panicky feeling growing in his stomach. He spotted Andrew staring at him.

   A taste of the Ripper glare had the blonde nerd giving the TV his full attention.

***

   " So this is okay, right?" Willow asked. " Angel doesn't mind us crashing here?"

   " Not according to Cordelia," Buffy answered. " If Xander can't find anything too wrong with the house, all we've gotta do is get the electricity and water turned back on."

   " You can pay those over the 'Net," Willow said. " It shouldn't be too much of a problem."

   The Scoobies, with the SiTs in tow, toting mops, buckets and other cleaning paraphernalia, arrived at the mansion. Xander walked up and tried the door.

   " Locked." He turned to Buffy. " Buff, you wanna do the honours?"

   Dawn rolled her eyes. " Yeah, great idea," she drawled rudely. " Then we'll have to get a new front door."

   Buffy glanced at her sister in surprise. She caught Giles' eye, and he shrugged almost imperceptively before switching his gaze to a neutral point on the wall.

   " I *said* someone should go to LA and get the keys," Anya grumbled. " But would any of you listen?"

   " Look, let's not bicker," Giles declared. " There's a simple solution to this." He crouched by the lock and took out a tiny screwdriver. After a few minutes of jiggling it in the lock, there was a click. Giles stood up and pushed the door open.

   " You have so got to teach me that," Buffy said.

   They both missed Dawn's glare.

   The group filed inside.

   " Okay," Buffy announced. " Everyone spread out. Check furniture, floors, ceilings, windows." The SiTs headed off in various directions. Buffy grabbed Andrew as he tried to slink by. " Not you, mister." She marched him over to a chair in the corner of the room. " Have a seat," she declared, pushing Andrew into the chair. " Anya?"

   Anya stepped forward, holding a length of rope. The two girls swiftly tied Andrew up. Buffy leaned down so that she was eye to eye with him.

   " I don't have time to play prison guard," she said in what she hoped was a menacing tone. " So Anya's gonna stand in for me. And if you try anything funny…"

   Anya gave her nastiest, most vengeance-y smile and cracked her knuckles.

   Andrew swallowed.

   Buffy straightened up again and looked around.

   " Yeesh, this place reeks," she remarked, wrinkling her nose.

   " It's just damp," Willow replied. " It needs to be aired out, that's all."

   Giles hovered in the doorway and watched as the others opened the windows, brushed dust around, and – in Xander's case – checked the furniture for woodworm and water damage. With the sunlight streaming in, it didn't look quite so frightening as he remembered. Cautiously, Giles stepped over the threshold and walked a few feet into the room.

   A dark shape moved at the very edge of his peripheral vision.

   _//No. Oh, please, no.//_

   Giles froze as the dark shape came closer and closer.

   " Well, well, Rupert," Angelus drawled. He stood in front of Giles, hands in his pockets, smirking. " Fancy seeing you here."

   Giles closed his eyes. _//It isn't real. It isn't real…//_

   Angelus chuckled.

   " You know, Rupert, I'm not gonna go away just because you close your eyes and wish."

   Giles opened his eyes and glared at him.

   Angelus gazed around at the rest of the gang, who were oblivious to his presence.

   " What is this, a visit for old times' sake?" he asked. " You've got such happy memories…"

   A razorblade flashed in the darkness, temporarily illuminated by the moonlight. Giles flinched at the unbidden mental image.

   " Well, *I* have happy memories." Angelus circled him. " I had a lot of fun with you, Rupert."

   He was too scared to cry out as the blade was drawn across his pale, quivering flesh, too scared to do anything except watch, mesmerised by the sight of dark blood bubbling out of the cut, legs and arms going hot and cold.

   " This carpet really needs vacuuming," Buffy remarked. She looked over at her Watcher. He was standing stock still, deathly pale, staring vacantly at a point in front of him. " Giles?"

   Angelus paused and murmured in his ear.

   " Try not to piss yourself on my rug this time."

   Giles turned and stumbled towards the door.

   " Giles?"

   Buffy followed and found him outside, leaning against the wall, breathing hard.

   " It's here," he gulped. 

   " The First?" Buffy asked.

   Giles nodded. " I saw… it – it looked like Angelus…"

   The stone floor was cold against his belly and his bare thighs. Somebody's knee was crushed into his back, pinning him down. He twisted his head enough to look over his shoulder and glimpsed Angelus standing behind him, an iron poker in his hands.

   " I'm gonna enjoy this."

   " I'm going to be sick," Giles mumbled. He pushed off the wall, staggered over to a bush and began to throw up. Buffy waited until he was finished before she approached him.

   " Are you all right?"

   Giles rounded on her suddenly, green eyes flashing with anger.

   " What do you care, you selfish little bitch?" he hissed. Buffy took a step back, eyes wide in surprise. " You took off without even checking to see if I was dead or alive. And when he turned up again you took him back with never a care for how I felt."

   Buffy stared up at him, stunned. 

   " Did it occur to you even *once* how it made me feel, seeing you back with him?" Giles continued angrily. " No. You were too busy being upset because you couldn't shag your vampire boyfriend anymore. But then that's you all over, isn't it?" He advanced on her, his face a mask of rage, and raised his fist to backhand her. " Never thinking of anyone but yourself –"

   " Giles, stop!" Buffy cried out.

   Giles blinked suddenly, and his expression of anger gave way to one of confusion. He lowered his arm and shook his head as if to clear it.

   " I thought we were past all that," Buffy said in a tiny, tearful voice.

   " Buffy…" Giles shook his head again. " I – I'm sorry. I don't know where all that came from." He frowned in puzzlement. "I – I was suddenly filled with …" He trailed off and looked at her. " I've never felt like that, not towards you. Not even about…" He gestured at the house. " It must be the First Evil."

   " So… you don't hate me?" Buffy asked.

   Giles gave her a weak smile.

   " Never," he replied. " But – I can't stay here. It's too easy for the First to manipulate me here. A few moments ago I was ready to tear your head off. If I did something to you… if I hurt you, I'd never forgive myself."

   Buffy nodded. " I understand, Giles. But you'll come over and drill the SiTs and hang out, right? You – you can do those things outside – you don't ever have to set foot in the house if you don't want to…"

   Giles smiled again, a little more warmly this time. " Yes, I'll come over. But I can't live here, Buffy, I can't spend the night." He shook his head. " If the First doesn't get me, the… the memories will."

   Buffy closed the gap between them and put her arms around him.

   " What's this?" Giles asked.

   " Really, really late apology hug," Buffy replied. She put her head on his chest and closed her eyes. " I'm sorry I ran away, and didn't call, and hid Angel, and – and I'm sorry I never said that I'm sorry before."

   Giles stroked her hair.

   " Buffy, it's all right," he told her. " I really did forgive you a long time ago."

   Buffy stepped away and looked up at him.

   " Will you be okay staying in the house on your own?" she asked.

   " If you remember, I have lived alone for several years," Giles answered wryly.

   " Yeah, I remember," Buffy replied with a grin. " But the First's tricky. Who knows what it's got lined up next…"

   " Hello?"

   Spike gazed around the dingy basement. " Big, brewin' evil, you home?"

   " Well, well." The vampire's own voice emanated from the shadows as the First Evil appeared. " Look who's back."

   " Got a proposition for you," Spike replied.

   The First arched a scarred eyebrow. " Yeah?"

   " Leave the Slayer and her little friends to me," Spike answered. " I got my own revenge to take, and I can't do that if you keep hassling them."

   The First Evil morphed into Angelus.

   " But it's such fun, fuckin' with 'em," it drawled. " Almost made Rupert go postal on his precious Buffy."

   " Yeah?" Spike asked, interested.

   " Yeah," First/Angelus answered. He shook his head. " Man, that guy's got serious problems. Buffy, too." Angelus' posture changed slightly, and his face lost his cruel smile as the First Evil morphed into Angel. " Why do you think she was so concerned about you? She was confused… mixing you up with someone else."

   Spike vamped out, suddenly filled with murderous rage. " You –" He leapt at his hated rival, only to pass harmlessly through First/Angel, and crashed headfirst into the wall. Moaning, he rolled over and gazed blearily up at the ceiling, seeing stars. First/Buffy appeared above him, twirling a strand of golden hair around her finger.

   " I can't help it if I'm all transfer-y and still hung up on my first love," she simpered vacuously.

   Spike picked himself up. 

   " We got a deal or not?" he growled.

   First/Buffy changed to First/Angelus.

   " I can't just hand over control of a project like this," he said. " It takes a lot of careful planning."

   " And what would this planning involve?" Spike drawled sarcastically. " You gonna talk us all to death?"

   First/Angelus ignored him. " You know how long a Slayer usually lives, once she's been called?"

   Spike shrugged. " I dunno. Two, three years?"    " You know how many manage seven years?" 

   First/Angelus paced around the basement.

   " For seven years, Buffy Summers has ruined every single evil scheme of every villain she's had to face. You know why?"

   " Her opponents were all morons?" Spike asked flippantly. 

   " It's that little gang of hers," First/Angelus replied angrily. " Every time she's had to face an apocalypse, they've been there." He shifted into game face. " If it wasn't for that boy Xander she'd have spent the last five and a half years rotting."

   " So your big plan is to split them up?" Spike asked incredulously. " Hate to tell you this, mate, but I've tried it." He lit a cigarette. " Managed to pull it off, too. It was beautiful." The blonde vampire grinned. " Willow and Xander not speaking to each other, Buffy storming off in a huff, Rupert pissed as a newt, trap all set…" Spike's grin faded and he threw his cigarette on the ground. " Didn't last. They're solid."

   First/Angelus grinned. " Not any more."

   Spike lit another cigarette and said nothing.

   " I've been waiting for the cracks to appear," First/Angelus explained. " And even after all they've been through, there aren't many – but they're there. There's just enough for me to get in and make them wider. Especially now. Your best friend going evil… the girl you had a crush on in high school sleeping with a vampire you hate… the one person you could always count on, taking off and leaving you when you need him most… these aren't things you get over just like that."

   Spike frowned.

   " What's any of this got to do with destroying the Slayer line?"

   " It's a good thing Giles brought all these powerless Potentials here for Buffy to babysit," First/Angelus remarked. " All the extra pressure mounting up, it's gonna take its toll. And with me," he tapped the side of his head, " in here, it's only a matter of time before the group fragments and my minions pick 'em off one by one. Then I'm gonna blow the Hellmouth wide open." First/Angelus morphed into the Master. " And the demons shall take back the earth."

   " Well, it all *sounds* good," Spike remarked. " Except Buffy and her crew aren't the only gang of do-gooders in the world. What about Angel's outfit in LA?"

   " Yes," First/Master replied. " It's such a shame no-one's thought to call them, isn't it? And no-one ever will. By the time they find out, it'll be too late. Oh, I know they'll do their best to try and turn the tide, but it'll be like –"

   " Look, I've got better things to do than listen to you gloat about how clever and evil and manipulative you are," Spike interrupted. " Bottom line is, you want Buffy and her little friends out of the way, and so do I. Now, are you gonna let me kill 'em, or not?"

   " What's in it for me?"

   " You got nothing to lose," Spike replied. " If I fail, you can go ahead and do it yourself. Unless there's some celestial alignment or something you're working to…"

   " I know what you've been doing," First/Master said abruptly. Spike broke off and eyed him suspiciously. " Very clever." First/Master morphed into Drusilla. " The little green girl believes in you. She thinks you're a good boy, punishing bad men." The First changed into Adam. " You've caused dissention in the ranks. And that's the only reason I'm agreeing to this… for now."

   " So… we got a deal then?" Spike asked.

   " Sure," First/Adam answered. Smirking, he held out his hand. " Shake?"

TBC?

-^)--)~


End file.
